The back of Anderson Orthotics and Prosthetics looks much like any workshop: a Craftsman tool box, a drill press, a grinder and dozens of tools hanging from pegs on every wall. Plaster dust covers most every surface, and the only hint of what goes on in the shop is a stack of plastic and latex feet and legs below the workbench, and a shoe with a heavy, 4-inch sole.

John and Linda Roberts, owners of Anderson Orthotics and Prosthetics, do more than create and fit artificial limbs and specialized braces. In a small dressing room behind a discrete curtain is an abundance of lace, silk and satin. There, Linda Roberts fits breast cancer survivors who have had mastectomies with breast prostheses.

She's been fitting the women she calls her "ladies" with breast prostheses for about 10 years, and first started when she noticed a need in the Helena area. Since then, she's seen her mother-in-law die from breast cancer and watched a close childhood friend survive the disease. It's become more than a service she provides in the vast area of prosthetics and orthotics, to raise breast cancer awareness and help mastectomy patients.

"You develop a rapport with mastectomy patients - you have to," Roberts said. "This is all an intimate business ... fitting a breast prosthesis is intimate because of the area of the body and the emotional aspect of going through breast cancer."

Roberts said she schedules about two to four fittings a week. Some are new patients and some are repeat clients who need an adjustment, a new prosthesis or a new bra.

The process starts with a consultation in a quiet, comfortable room off the Roberts' workshop followed by a standard bra fitting.

"The key to this whole thing working is a properly fitting bra," Roberts said.

The measurements are just a starting point and that's often where the fitting begins to take shape.

Roberts has drawers full of bras specially designed to hold prostheses. They range in size and Roberts even supplies hard-to-fit sizes. In satin and lace, demi and full coverage, black, white and pink, the bras are just what any woman would find in a higher-end department store.

And as varied as Roberts' selection of bras, so is her selection of breast prostheses. Filled with medical-grade silicone, the breast prostheses are available in a variety of shapes, weights and natural colors. Some are triangular and fit either side, while others are asymmetrical - specifically designed for one side or the other.

The fit and size of the breast prosthesis depends on how much original breast tissue remains after the mastectomy, Roberts said. Most prostheses weight about the same as a woman's natural breast. In fitting a breast prosthesis, Roberts said, most clients opt for a prosthesis that matches the weight of their remaining breast to balance the weight on each side that's borne by a woman's shoulders.

"Some are a little lighter, because instead of (some weight) being handled by the chest wall, it's all hanging from the shoulder," she added.

Roberts said that her patients have reported a sense of assurance when hugging a loved one or cuddling a grandchild. To anyone who comes into contact with a woman wearing a prosthesis, the breast feels so natural it would go unnoticed, Roberts said.

Between surgery and a fitting with Roberts, women can purchase a garment that accommodates the necessary drain tubes and provides women with a soft little pillow as a temporary prosthesis that doesn't irritate the sensitive skin during the healing process when they can't wear a bra.

"It was designed by a breast cancer survivor," Roberts explained.

In about six to eight weeks after the initial surgery, mastectomy patients will be ready for a full fitting behind Robert's pink and white striped curtain.

"When you are in this business, you want to make people comfortable," Roberts said. "That's my primary goal."

Reporter Laura Tode can be reached at 447-4081 or by e-mail at laura.tode@helenair.com.